LEFT BEHIND

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 126, 21 February 1919, Page 5

LEFT BEHIND

EQUINE HEROES OF EGYPT AND PALESTINE THEIR FUTURE DISPOSAL "Soon we will be tracking- down the Indian Ocean, bound for home," writes a B. -Vnzac' in "The Kja Ora Coo-ee," the official magazine of, the, Australian and Zealand forces in Egypt, Palestine,. . Salonika, and Mesopotamia. "But we • . leave the'horses'behind. There's the rub! Our old friends of twenty stunts and a . hundred smaller eporting shows- are not . to. know again the sweet native grasses and the'pleasant'paddocks of/their , na- , tive'land.'' We are told that to take them back would* endanger the health of.all . Australian.li.ve stock, ajid. further,rth'at the-cost off transport would be, more than , . they. are." worth.'..More than they.-are worth!', . r ,\ : , ... ,

~'They are to be. left behind ajid.sold. Most of them.are doubtless for the countries around . the * Mediterranean.' \ The Mediterranean peoples have many attractive .qualities, but I am. sad to' think >they may.get my old cuddy...Their wjly with.horses,is not'ours. Happy -thoughts of going, home are: clouded" by fears of what may happen to veteran horses, which' carried/, us across the sands of Sinai and on up to Amman and Damrissus. -We cannot, stipulate, but one.-coun-try.' should be- .barred against buying them.. Spain should be cut out.. Horses which, helped'us through Romani and carried .us into : Beersheeba, and up. ; the . goat. tracks •. of.; Moab and Gilead, and away north into the. Lebanons; should at-least be made safe from the. bull of Madrid-and Barcelona."-:,-... Many, of the mounted men,.who- have .returned to New Zealand from' Egypt 'and Palestine speak sadly of. their horseis. They had, a deep affection and .respect for -the- brave animals ..that' made "possible the triumphal conclusion of General Allenby's campaign. ' tell stories of the wonderful pluck and endur* .puce -of the horses -which, shared with • the- men the •. privations and fatigues' Of .fighting .'in. the sandy-.deserts,-and carried immense loads under the most; try-, ing conditions. It'is no-secret that many of the :mounted men, when ordered-to etart homeward, killed their horses lather than leave, the faithful animals to the chances lof• the ffiture.- 'Ciey had Been the- way' that -many of- the native -peoples of -the' Near- East .'treat horses ahd- .other animals 'of burden. r '

The. New._ Zealand horses how-in Egypt : and Palestine are ~Eo be sold ■ when the troops -leave "for home. • ; The Minister' of Defence, speaking to a . Dominion '• reporter on thisi subject, said that if would not be possible to' bring any -.of horseg -back to : the ,-i* The.-animals had done splendidly, .. and he was as proud 'of their 'performance -as: anybody,, else. But hard facts prevented their-return •to- the country of their birth., Transport was not available, and the , risk of introducing dangerous • diseases,' •. prevalentamong horses and other animals in • the Eastern countries, _ could not be taken. •' The shortage of transport was acute-It. 1 was a very difficult matter , to' arrange for the_ return.of the; men to New Zealand within a reasonable time. No arrangements could' be made for the .con..veyance of; the horses even if the question, of disease did not enter into the matter; , :, ' The reporter made (some inquiries regarding the proposal for the disposal w the. horses, and -was. informed at De-' fence Headquarters that the animals, .were not going to.be sold regardless of their future. The point that was being . raised,.by returned soldiers had,. been ' fully discussed already. . The. . New Zealand and Australian office're at the tfront were keenly, anxious that, the'" hordes should have fair treatment/and it..was believed the precautions'that were going to be taken would be adequate. , The horses would be disposed of through an army board. All . the'horses still lit Jor anny work were likely'to be taken by the Imperial authorities for military purposes. The-others would be sold jvith safeguards designed to prevent their reaching the hands of natives who would treat them badly. ~ ;/ : Tha asspranccs. that'.-.nre given on this point do ■ not, returned. men who have interested themselves in the fate ,of the , horses. It is a bitter disappointment to .many men that the horses cannot.come back. ' They had cherished -an. idea of-'buying, their, old' friends from the Government at this'end and seeing that ,in years to. come'their' old friends had an easier job tlian carrying 18 or 20 stoni; o: r.'.an, and rqiiipment across; the libt. sands of. Sinli. That beltl? impossible, they ; would like a very definite assurance that .the horses' are going to.be safeguarded'and not treated a 5 mere items of army material.